Customer Reviews

Sex & Religion

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Sex & Religion is in my opinion the best thing Steve Vai has released as a 'solo' artist. Most of his fans tend to diss this record because it isn't as 'wicked' as Passion and Warfare or as 'deep' as Fire Garden. I bought my first Steve Vai album in March 1991 and over the last 13+ years I never really liked his music. He has excellent technique and is a virtuoso in every sense of the word but his songwriting has never appealed to me for some reason. Not to mention his tone, his production and his song arrangements. The guy has excellent prowess over his instrument but his choice of notes does nothing for me.

This is the reason why I think Sex & Religion contains some of his best moments as a 'solo' artist. This was released under the VAI moniker instead of Steve Vai because initial plans were to put together a band with competitive players like Terry Bozzio, T.M. Stevens and Devin Townsend where each musician could contribute their ideas and talents in a healthy exchange. Isn't that the point of forming a band anyway? There needs to be unconditional acceptance of everybody else's contribution. Obviously Vai was not ready for that kind of commitment. He wasn't ready to sacrifice his own 'quirky' songwriting attitude in order to write songs together with the rest of the amazing singers on the bill. He himself admitted this years later and seemed to regret it greatly. Well, too bad -- cause the album begins to drag horribly after the first 7-8 tracks and it turns into this Steve Vai solo project with amazing players merely backing him up, rather than adding something unique to the mold of the songcraft.

I've always considered Sex & Religion to be an album with some of the most amazing musicians coming together to play some of the most mediocre music ever. It's a shame Vai didn't make better use of the amazing Terry Bozzio's godly drum work. As I said, the album has a great beginning introducing the 19-year-old Devin Townsend on vocals with his mesmerizing vocal delivery. He shines on each and every track he appears on, but the lead choruses on "Here & Now", "Still My Bleeding Heart" and the title track are particularly overwhelming. It is he for the most part who makes this album a worthwhile effort. The first seven songs sound more like a band effort where each musician contributes their performance expertise. With the popular "Touching Tongues", however, the albums begins to move on a different musical path, thus utilising Vai's quirky soundscapes. He begins to experiment with more and more different styles and soon the songs lose their momentum and turn into lifeless chunks of riffs with poorly composed melodies. The guitar tone, though better than other Vai releases (with the exception of Fire Garden perhaps), is pretty thin and watery.

Although "State of Grace" is a nice instrumental it also seems to me that Vai would have done much better if he just finished the album at around 10 tracks instead of coming up with songs like "Pig", "The Road to Mt. Calvary" and "Down Deep into the Pain". While "Survive" and the last track "Rescue Me Or Bury Me" offer some quality musicianship the good ideas on these tracks could have been combined in hopes of creating a single, yet more powerful song. "Pig" is perhaps the most horrendous song on the record and it gives me the creeps. It's the epitome of a Steve Vai track with random and incoherent structure, weird (pig) noises and a lousy guitar that drones on forever. The rest of the songs are merely a noisy, chaotic and murky mess lacking dynamics and power. Apart from the run-out (tap) solo in "Rescue Me or Bury Me" the song sounds simply uninspired and forgettable. Though the back-up guys are competent, they are extremely limited because Vai wouldn't give them any creative input. It's best to check out their solo efforts (Bozzio Leven Stevens, Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad).

Lead singer Devin Townsend is one of the most amazing and uniquely talented souls making music as Vai himself admits. Unfortunately very little of his true brilliance comes through on S&R. Be sure to check out his solo albums (Terria and Ocean Machine would be good starting points) and discover the genius in his songwriting not to mention his otherworldly vocal ability. Overall, this album is good, but only by Steve Vai's standards. It's by no means essential listening but does contain some amazing moments such as Townsend's killer vocal melody in "Touching Tongues", Bozzio's awesome cymbal work on the title track and Stevens' bizarre and groovy bass lines through the entire album. Steve Vai? Well, you probably already know.

The theme, sex and religion, is pure Steve Vai -- and something I don't think he'll ever tire of exploring or expressing. I would say Vai makes better vocal music when he's a hired gun (e.g David Lee Roth etc) but in recruiting a young Devin Townsend he picked an almost equal to himself. Some may disagree but how anyone can remain more salient over Vai in a recording studio is anybody's guess. Devin Townsend is an extremely insightful and intelligent musician in his own right and when he's not writing his own parts things are bound to suffer, therefore; the results are a little mixed. The musicianship overall however, is not - this is absolutely stellar. And herein lies my biggest criticism: it's not what you hear but rather what you *don't* hear. With a line-up including Terry Bozzio on drums and TM Stevens on bass, it's a crying shame this wasn't more of the "band project" Vai lead us to believe. The demon-fingered one pens virtually every song (music and lyrics) and although each band member puts their own distinct stamp on things, the collaborative aspect is ultimately lost. For guitarists however, there's some great stuff to get your teeth into - "Here and Now", "Still my Bleeding Heart" (cool solo tone!) and "Rescue me or Bury Me" are particular standouts. But there's also some nonsense too, so be warned. Bottom line is that this album doesn't leave you wanting more, which is a shame, because on paper, this line-up of musicians promises the Earth.

Steve Vai is Steve Vai, not [other people]. The intensity and uniqueness of Steve's music, especially this album, defies categorization. With Sex and Religion, Steve courageously transports his listeners beyond the surface and deep inside the human heart - in all its glory and ignominy - and paints us an unabashed, wide-eyed portrait while giving us some of his most interestingly intense musical expressions along the way.

As Steve's recordings go, this one is especially weird but that's EXACTLY why genuine Vai fans will love this. He's unique and eclectic and his music reflects this. Devin Townsend is the only vocalist on the planet that could have adequately given voice to Steve's vision for this album and while his voice is not my favorite, it is nonetheless a perfect fit to Steve's intense, unapologetic, pure musical genius. From the opening glass shattering through the last notes of "Rescue Me or Bury Me", Steve takes you on a musical journey of unparalleled intensity - he even includes audio from his son Julian's birth, probably his own most intense spiritual experience - hence this is not for shallow-minded [people] who lack the capacity to listen past the surface.

As a guitarist myself, I stand in humble awe of his incredible talent, creativity, and genuine eccentricity. Most geniuses border upon madness and Steve [turn] it up all the way, and hold on for dear life because Steve is going to completely blow your mind!!....

Warning...Do not expect Passion & Warfare 2 from this album, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. Ever the eclectic, Vai goes all vocal on us, trying to fit his guitar pyrotechnics into *gasp from the cheap seats* real songs. To be fair, Vai was always going to struggle to compete with the onset of the "grunge (and I hate that word)" explosion: his songs tend to sound a bit too 80's. Here & Now for example could easily have found a home on Whitesnakes Slip of the Tongue album, while In My Dreams With You is a classic power ballad featuring the writing abilities of Desmond Child. The album veers from noisy, thrash (Pig and Dirty Black Hole) to the harmonies of Survive and Sex and Religion. It's the one typically Vai-esque instrumental that really reminds us who we are listening to. Touching Tongues features an ingenious melody played using a Whammy pedal as well as some great runs.

Not as essential as Passion & Warfare but still well worth a listen.

Despite the criticism given to this album, there's a lot of terrific stuff here that will please intellectual music listeners of all demographics and creeds.

"Still My Bleeding Heart" and "Touching Tongues" are simply amazing, and Devin Townsend's vocals are spirited and exciting. Sure, there's some weird stuff here, but it's Vai juxtaposing his artistic vision with his musical abilities. Great effort!

First of all I'm not a guitarist, but I listen to alot of them. Steve Vai is as good as they come. Some of his stuff will put your jaw on the floor. That said, I like him better in a "group" situation, like David Lee Roth, Whitesnake and Vai. Maybe working with other great musicians brings out his best, kind of like Michael Schenker. Devin Townsend is a phenomenal vocalist and Terry Bozzio is a very good drummer.
This album is a mix of Vai's talents. It has both great and sometimes strange guitar playing - something he has always had. It also has some very good songwriting. Here & Now, In My Dreams With You, Still My Bleeding Heart and Down Deep Into The Pain all have Vai's stellar guitar work along with great lyrics and melody. Devin Townsend's vocals are nothing short of awe inspiring.
If you like Steve Vai, I don't see how you couldn't like this album.

Steve Vai has now given us fans over an hour's worth of his most outrageous material to date.'Sex...',the guitar virtuoso's third lp is a bit of a change for Vai on the count that this release has more vocals and a steady reliable back-up band.In my opinion,'Sex...' should NOT disappoint that many TRUE Vai fans.Apparently,Vai himself had taken on the task of writing,engineering and producing the entire effort himself.Quite a feat,I imagine.Many critics didn't care for this CD,but the fans felt different.After hearing tracks like "Dirty Black Hole","State Of Grace","Pig" and "Down Deep",maybe twice,'Sex And Religion' should grow on you.Basically,just a great piece of '90's straight ahead heavy metal that's been brought to life by one of the business's most talented axe slingers.More than deserves a hollowed place in your music collection beside your copy of Vai's 'Flexable' and 'Passion&Warfare' discs.

There is a fantastic lineage in (somewhat) popular music that runs from Zappa, through Vai to Devin Townsend. Later, his work with his own projects (Strapping Young Lad, Ocean Machine, Infinity, Physicist, Terria and DTB) would fully cement his reputation as the king of modern metal, but here on Vai's much discussed mid90s album, he has his rock and roll roots exposed for all to glare at.
Some say Devy's vocals ruin the album; others say it makes it great. The flaws in this album are often the songs themselves and there being too many of them with not enough quality. That and the guitar isn't as dominant (necessarily it can't be with the inclusion of so many 'songs')nor wanky as it could be. I personally have always loved Devin's voice, despite him sounding a little more laboured than he does these days.
This album is still pretty astounding and only got 3 stars in the context of Vai's other work. Music like this has to be taken almost in a vacuum, as it is simply not fair to compare it to others posing as musicians. The title track is the best, but the album is definitely worth a listen.

Words cannot express how much I love this album. I have listened to it countless times and have yet to get sick of it. Devin Townsend is simply the star of this album, as his performance here is breathtaking! Not to mention the other outstanding musicians. (Vai, Bozzio, Stevens)

This CD takes an open, musical mind to listen to. If you truly appreciate music, there are moments on this disc that simply send chills up one's spine. The vocal harmonies on "In my Dreams with You," "Sex and Religion," and "Survive" are examples of this.

This is one of those magical albums with a union of such musicians that the result of the union becomes infinitely more powerful than the sum of the individuals.

We all know how insanely great Steve is (been hooked ever since Flex-able), but think for a moment about the other musicians: TERRY BOZZIO on drums. This guy has a style (especially on this album) that completely blows me away. NOTHING like it out there. (Check out "Still My Bleeding Heart", especially at the end).

1st time listeners, what just smacked you upside the head was the percussive yet soulful and at times powerfully shrill vocals of Devon Townsend. This Canadian power-vocalist means business. If you don't care for screaming vocals, fine, but the passion and power of his performances cannot be overlooked.

Add TM Stevens's funky yet unobtrusive bass chops in to the mix and we already have an incredible band that I would listen to.

Bring it all together with the unparalelled chops and MUSICALITY (here's the key many reviews before have missed) of Mr. Vai to this band and album, and you have Sex & Religion.

While the thematic content of much of the album is somewhat controversial (ritual suicide, loud disagreements...over morality), it is overall a very passionate album. Each member of this band has completely convinced me that they played their hearts out on this. Yet the grooves and melodies and sweetly crunchy guitar riffs are not sacrificed.

Highlights: "In My Dreams With You" is a beautifully nasty ballad. "Survive" is a great vocal/guitar anthem set to tribal funk that will not be ignored. "Still My Bleeding Heart" amazes me every single time I hear it. Bozzio and Townsend go OFF!! "Touching Toungues" is a moving instrumental that provides balance to the album (also note the vocals used as instrument by Devon. Very nice!) "State of Grace" is middle-eastern flavored instrumental precursor to Fire Garden.

This album pumps me up when I feel down and allows release when I feel angry. But that's just me. I give it 5 stars. The only thing that breaks my heart is the fact that this band is no more and probably never again will be. Each musician has moved on to many other things and directions since this album. Sure was great while it lasted.